Discussions had been ongoing for some time, but after the Bruins lost 0-2 at home to the Blues, management had seen enough 22 games into the season. With a record of 11-7-4 the Bruins hadn't lived up to expectations. Perhaps it was a Cup hangover. Whatever the reason, things just weren't clicking and the main problem was inconsistency.
The team needed help with goalscoring, defending and some depth. So that's what was brought in without moving much from the regular roster. Instead all picks were shipped out in order to acquire the key piece - Jason Pominville. A team player, good at both ends of the ice and a goalscorer who should provide the team with a spark. In addition, brothers Milan (forward) and Zbynek Michalek (d'man) were acquired to give the team more depth both up front and at the back end. While Milan should be able to chip in with some goals in the bottom six, Zbynek is a solid defensive d'man with good shotblocking abilities.
This is how the complete trade looks like:
To BOS: Jason Pominville, Milan Michalek and Zbynek Michalek
To NYI: Bos' 1st, Bos' 2nd, Was' 2nd, Kyle Chipchura, Jordan Caron and Nick Schultz
At the time of the trade, Pominville was pretty much a point per game player scoring 11 goals and adding 10 assists for 21 points in 22 games. With those stats, he'd be second on the Bruins trailing only James Neal in goals (12) and 3rd in points after Neal (29) and Zach Parise (23). Exactly who Pominville will team up with isn't clear at this point, but one possibility is to skate him alongside Parise. Meanwhile Ryan Kesler will move from right wing to his natural position and center the 3rd line for the time being. Hopefully this will give the team a more balanced attack. Only time will tell...
